View Single Post
  #2 (permalink)  
Old 3rd March 2005, 01:49 PM
NM's Avatar
NM NM is offline
Moderator
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Member of: AA Exec Plat; QF LTG; PC Plat; HHonors Gold
Posts: 10,055
The only reasons I would consider is if you want to have the card application and resulting credit limit shown on your credit reference. Every time you apply for credit (and of course a new credit card is applying for credit), it will result in an entry on your credit refernce. A subsequent application for credit may be refused based on the fact that the credit provider thinks you may already be over-committed with your existing debt. And remember that they consider a credit card's credit limit as the amount of debt, not the actual amiunt outstanding.

This is the reason that credit card companies want us all to have very high credit limits. If we are fully committed in terms of credit to one company, we are less likely to be approved for a credit facility by a competitor. In fact with many credit card applications now you don't actually apply for a specific credit limit. You apply for the card and CC company tells you what limit they have approved for you. This limit may be way more than you want or need. But it means that when you next apply to another company and they check your credit reference they see that XYZ company has provided you with, say $25,000 credit on a Visa Card, and when they calculate your risk they will assume the full $25K is owing to XYZ even if you own nothing on that card.

So think carefully if you want the card, and if possible specify the credit limit you want rather than let the bank set the limit at what they want it to be.

Some people get into credit reference trouble by constandlt switching credit card providers, looking for the best short term deals, balance transfers etc. Even though they may be closing old card accounts, that is not shown on the credit reference - only the applications and how much was approved. So applying for a new card every 3 months and being given a $20,000 credit limit will appear as though you have an outstanding debt of $80,000 in 12 months even if you only have one current card.
Reply With Quote